


Apologetically Yours

by MadHare0512



Series: the subtle thread that binds [2]
Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: Affection, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Communication, Disabled Character, Episode Related, Episode Tag, Episode: s02e20 Kiss of the Muse, F/M, Fights, How Do I Tag, Hurt Nick Burkhardt, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Juliette is mentioned, Kissing, M/M, Multi, Nick Burkhardt Needs a Hug, Non-Graphic Violence, Nonverbal Communication, Panic, Polyamory, Sleepy Cuddles, Spells & Enchantments, The Author Regrets Nothing, Worried Monroe, Worried Rosalee, and vision impairment is a disability, because you can't tell me Nick doesn't need glasses now, no beta we die like men, why aren't those already tags?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21740440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadHare0512/pseuds/MadHare0512
Summary: Nick was agitated when he came in.
Relationships: Nick Burkhardt/Monroe, Nick Burkhardt/Rosalee Calvert, Nick Burkhardt/Rosalee Calvert/Monroe, Rosalee Calvert/Monroe
Series: the subtle thread that binds [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1602418
Comments: 6
Kudos: 90





	Apologetically Yours

Apologetically Yours

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

**AU: Canon Divergence, Altered Timeline**

Nick was agitated when he came in. It wasn't quite abnormal for him, especially after coming back from Juliette's house these days.

But the thing is, normally he'd relax when he got into the house. Once his gun and badge were on the table and his coat was hung on the rack, he'd sigh and fall into Monroe or Rosalee's arms, content to stay there for as long as they'd let him. Today, that didn't happen.

"How'd it go, Nick?" Monroe asked, watching as Nick sat on the couch, leg bouncing restlessly and eyes watching every exit.

Rosalee and Monroe glanced at each other, worried about their Grimm. Rosalee nodded, heading to the kitchen to prepare some of the chamomile tea Nick liked while Monroe gently set down on the couch next to his strange and wonderful lover.

"Nicky, are you okay?" Monroe asked, eyes roaming over Nick for injury.

"What?" Nick asked distractedly, blue eyes now staring intently at the window next to the door.

The same window had been broken twice now, once by those kids on Halloween during the case with La Llorona and once by a play fight between Nick and Rosalee a few months earlier. Both had given Monroe money to help fix it, of course, the Blutbad couldn't be expected to pay for all of it himself. The window was perfect by now, there weren't any cracks, chips, or flaws, so why was Nick staring at it like it was shattered beyond repair?

"Are you okay?" Monroe repeated, tilting his head.

Nick stood and began pacing the living room. "Why do you care?"

Monroe was thrown back to the first fight they'd had when their relationship was still new. Having more than two people in a relationship was difficult because when two where in a fight, they expected the remaining one (or ones) to pick which one they agreed with. The fight had been between Monroe and Nick, Monroe was upset because Nick had thrown himself in front of a bullet meant for his partner and landed himself in the hospital. Nick hadn't understood at first, he wasn't doing anything he wouldn't have done in the past and getting hurt was a part of the job. Rosalee had ended up going with Monroe. They could still smell the blood coming from the bandage on Nick's shoulder and it made their instincts wild. Not only that but if Nick threw himself in front of every bullet to save his partner, then one day he wouldn't be there to do so.

Living in a world without even _one_ of his lovers was not a world Monroe wanted to live in.

Nick had gotten upset, thrown out some words he didn't mean, and left, despite protests from Monroe and Rosalee. Nick stayed away for what seemed like a year but it was only a few days. Rosalee had gotten attacked by a mugger protecting a young Mauzhertz and ended up with a knife to the leg. Nick had shown up at the hospital worried and apologetic, looking for Monroe and praying for Rosalee.

Monroe had received him with open arms. Nick apologized profusely, telling him he hadn't meant a word of what he'd said, that he understood now and he would try to be better and "Please understand I'm a cop, getting hurt isn't something I can always avoid." Monroe had hugged him back hard and reminded him that no relationship was without its issues, it would be unfair to expect Nick to be perfect. Monroe promised to reel in the protective instincts.

One of the things Nick had said was that Monroe didn't care. He hadn't meant it, and once the words were out of his mouth, he'd stopped in shocked horror, and then he was grabbing his jacket again and rushing out the door.

Monroe stood, gently gripping Nick's shoulders, "Nick, of course, I care. There's not a thing in the world that could stop me from caring. What's wrong, Nick? Please, tell me."

Nick roughly pushed Monroe's hands off his shoulders, "Get off." His eyes were wild, angry and scared. "Don't-" his choaked gasp cut him off, "Don't touch me."

Monroe backed away a step, "Alright, I won't touch you. Could you sit down, at least?"

In hindsight, it probably wasn't smart to make Nick feel cornered. He may have been different from all the others, but he was still a Grimm. He had the killer instincts and the training to act on them, Monroe had made damn sure Nick could handle any kind of Wessen that he came across. Still, despite the fight Nick was suddenly putting up, he never went in for the Blutbaden weak spot at the small of Monroe's back.

It was because he was level headed that Monroe was able to restrain his smaller lover. "Nick, what the Hell?"

Nick was fighting to get free, struggling hard against the arms Monroe had around his chest to pin his arms. "Let go!" he shouted.

Rosalee came running from the kitchen, "Monroe? Nick?"

"Help me out here, Rose?" Monroe got out between gritted teeth.

"What happened?" Rose asked, coming over to help.

"I don't know, he just attacked me. I just asked him to sit down." With Rosalee's help, Monroe moved Nick to the couch and forced him to sit. "Nick, what's wrong?"

Rosalee pinned Nick to the couch with two hands on his shoulders while Monroe knelt in front of him with his hands on Nick's knees. "Nicky, talk to us."

Nick's eyes were still wild, darting around in their sockets, trying to find an escape. "Get off, get _off, get off!_ " he repeated the simple phrase many times, but Rosalee never moved. Monroe may have been stronger, but Rosalee didn't have the force of will to make Nick sit down and listen, so she let Monroe talk to their smaller lover.

"Nick, for God's sake, _look at me_!" Monroe pleaded, "Tell me what's wrong."

The tremors began in Nick's hands, wrists caught in Monroe's hand so he couldn't hit either of them. They spread throughout his body, increasing until Nick was shaking, shivering under their touch like he was cold.

"Nicky?" Monroe asked, placing his free hand on Nick's cheek. "Please, are you okay?"

"Monroe, I can't-" Nick cut off with a hiss, breath catching in his throat, "I can't stop it."

Monroe and Rosalee shared a glance. Monroe looked back at Nick, "You can't stop what, Nick. Tell us what's wrong."

"I met a girl on the case today, I didn't know if she was Wessen, but her ex-boyfriend was. She told us that people tend to get obsessed with her. She kissed my hand." Nick shook his head violently like he was trying to dislodge his brain, "I can't stop thinking about her, Monroe. Please, make it stop."

Rosalee and Monroe shared another glance, then Monroe hesitantly asked, "If I let go of your wrists, are you going to hit me again?"

Nick shook his head, a flicker of a smile crossing his lips, "I'll behave."

Monroe released Nick's hands, gently cupping his face between his hands, "Tell me if you want me to stop okay?"

Now, one might normally think this wasn't a good idea, but Monroe and Rosalee had quickly learned that Nick's mind never truly stopped spinning unless it was made to. One way to do that was by taking him to the woods and having him point out everything he found interesting. Some days, they would be there for hours, enjoying the sun and fresh air, watching Nick point out everything that caught his eye until he finally settled down with them and sighed in contentment.

Another way to stop his mind was to completely overwhelm him. The best way to do that was to kiss him. So, Monroe pressed his lips to Nick's, slow and gentle as he'd always been. Nick whimpered as if he'd been dying of thirst, fingers scrabbling for purchase on Monroe's flannel, looping in the tails and in behind the buttons of his shirt. Rosalee squeezed Nick's shoulders, a reminder that she was here for him. Nick released Monroe's flannel with one hand and gripped her fingers, pulling away from Monroe to turn his attention to her, gasping as she gently kissed his forehead, then his cheek, and finally stooping down to claim his mouth. This continued until Nick's tremors had ceased. He panted lightly as Monroe and Rosalee pulled away. Rosalee sat next to him and watched him with worried eyes. Monroe cupped Nick's face in his hands.

Nick looked at them, eyes wide and hurt, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to," he murmured.

Monroe trailed his hands down to Nick's torso and wrapped him in a hug. "As long as you're okay now, that's all that matters. Talk to us, Nicky. Tell us what happened. You didn't explain so well earlier."

Rosalee leaned on Nick's shoulder as Monroe settled on his other side, both of them waiting patiently. "She was Wessen, she turned into something I haven't seen before," Nick replied. "When we got the call I wasn't sure, but _something_ about her called to me. She said her ex-boyfriend had attacked her and her new boyfriend. She kissed my hand and everything just flipped. All I knew was that I had to see her again. That's why I missed dinner, I'm so sorry. I double booked myself, I was so distracted." Nick dropped his head in his hands with a frustrated growl.

Monroe gently rubbed Nick's arm, "Don't worry about it, dinner can be remade. We'll just have it tomorrow instead." Because tomorrow was the day they were supposed to celebrate their anniversary. They were going to celebrate tonight before Nick's cases and Rosalee's business at the spice shop got into the way because both were about to pick up.

"Still, I feel awful. I hit you. I kissed her." Nick gently slipped a hand up Monroe's arms, to his cheek where a bruise was already darkening.

"Hey, I heal fast, remember? Don't sweat it." the Blutbad wrapped an arm around Nick's shoulders and his hand brushed Rosalee's hair.

"As for kissing her, it sounds like she had you under a spell. You'd never cheat on us of you're own free will, Nicky. No big deal." Rosalee murmured, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I can't-" Nick cut off with a huff, whatever he'd meant to say lost to his mind as Monroe began to speak.

"Don't worry about it. We can deal with this in the morning. For now, have you eaten?"

Nick hesitated, sighed, and shook his head. So, Monroe reheated some of the leftover dinner and Nick managed to get half of it down before he had to stop. Monroe didn't ask him to eat anything more as he might have on a normal night, he simply took the plate as Nick sighed and laid his head in his arms. Nick looked (and smelt) completely exhausted, shoulders slumped and completely off guard.

Rosalee liked the idea that Nick could relax so much, that he felt safe enough in their home to do so. She loved it when Nick could let go of all the stress from his day, she'd never seen him completely at ease anywhere but their home. She sat next to him, hand supporting her chin as she rubbed his back. There was a part of her that felt betrayed and hurt by the knowledge that Nick had kissed another girl. It wanted her to go tearing through the night, full woge, and find the bitch who started this. The rest of her knew Nick needed his lovers tonight.

Nick was the kind of person who put the world on their shoulders, happily carrying the weight because it meant that they could help people. Nick gave and gave and gave to people who couldn't have cared beyond finding their missing loved one, throwing himself head-first into danger because he knew it would save others, and pushing through exhaustion and pain to deliver a promise he'd made to families hurt by killers, thieves, and rapists. Nick gave everything he had and never expected anything in return. He'd been getting better about throwing himself head-first into danger; now that Hank knew about Nick's heritage, Nick had help on the force, but he always came home exhausted and keyed up and Rosalee hated it. The point was, she was happy to see him relaxed. It seemed like Monroe was too, by the way his eyes darted from her to Nick before he went to lock the doors back. He set a hand on Nick's shoulder as Rosalee stood. "Let's get to bed, hmm? Long day for Grimms and Blutbads and Fuchsbau."

Nick grumbled tiredly but allowed Monroe to pull him to his feet before he sighed and trudged up the stairs. Monroe exchanged a knowing glance with his fox-like counterpart. "There are days I just want to hit him for all the guilt he shoves on himself. Hopefully, he and Hank can get this case solved soon."

Rosalee smiled, tapping Monroe's cheek teasingly. "Poor Monroe can't take a hit?"

Monroe chuckled, "You laugh, you haven't had to train him. Just because I heal fast doesn't mean I can't hurt."

Nick appeared at the top of the stairs, wearing his pajamas and glasses, "Coming?" he asked worriedly.

"Be right there, Nicky," Rosalee called back.

Nick seemed satisfied with the response as he headed back to their room. Monroe glanced at Rosalee again. "You know, this was just my house once."

Rosalee outright laughed, "Would you have it any other way?"

Monroe shook his head with a smile, "Never," and with that, they headed to bed.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

A little known fact about Nick Burkhardt that he'd never tell a single soul; he was a massive cuddle-bug. And he couldn't hold body temperature very well at all, which was half the reason he was so pale. So, when Nick felt the need to leech more warmth from somewhere (usually when half-asleep or running off very little sleep) he typically curled up against one of his partners, because both Monroe and Rosalee radiated heat like a furnace. It wasn't at all unusual to wake up to find that Nick had fitted himself into Monroe's side, nor was it unusual to find that he'd gone to snag the blanket from the spare room and curl up under that.

It made the heat in their bedroom worse, but Monroe figured it was worth it if Nick was warm enough.

Waking up the next morning, however, Monroe found neither of those things. Nick's part of the bed was cold, so he'd been gone for a bit, but how had he managed to leave without waking Monroe or Rosalee. Monroe breathed a sigh and reached over to shake Rosalee awake, "Rose."

"Mmm?"

"Rosalee, wake up. Nick's gone."

"What?" Rosalee sleepily turned over, propping herself up on her elbow.

"Nick's not in bed," Monroe repeated, sitting up.

"Okay. I'll check the guest bedroom, you look in the kitchen." Rosalee grunted as she rolled out of bed.

Monroe checked the nightstand, but Nick's black, plastic-framed glasses and contact lenses were gone. He'd left the house entirely. Monroe sat up and stood, wincing as his back popped and leg protested. Oh, he knew he'd be feeling the bruises. Damn that girl for putting Nick under that spell. Monroe walked down the stairs, hoping against hope that Nick was just in the living room and had kept his glasses on him (rather than in the case on the nightstand like he normally did when he left the house). To his disappointment, no Nick. Monroe turned to the kitchen, hoping to find something that told him where Nick was. And find something he did.

The note had his and Rosalee's name penned in Nick's messy scrawl. He must've been in a hurry, his handwriting only looked that bad when he was rushed. Monroe picked up the note and opened it. As he read it, he smiled and chuckled. "Rose!"

Rosalee came hurrying down the steps. "Did you find him? He isn't in the spare room."

"It's alright, babe. Here, he left this." Monroe handed her the note.

Rosalee's eyebrows knit together before she sighed in relief and nodded. "We have some research to do then. To the trailer!"

Monroe laughed as he and Rosalee headed back to their rooms to get dressed and do as Nick had asked. "To the trailer."

The note was left lying innocently on the table.

_Rosalee and Monroe,_

_I got called in early, so I'm fine. Sorry again for freaking out on you last night. I really don't want that to happen again, so I'm enclosing a likeness of our suspect. Could you guys go to the trailer and see if you could find out what she is? And don't worry about my glasses, I have them. I'm not entirely certain if it was the kiss or her eyes that did me in, so I'm taking extra precaution. My contacts are in the bathroom. At any rate, thank you for helping me last night. I'll see you tonight for dinner._

_Apologetically yours,_

_Nick_


End file.
